To:

Members, Board of Education

From:

Maurice O. Green, Superintendent
Beth Folger, Chief Officer for Curriculum & Organizational Development

Date:

October 24, 2008

RE:

Approval of School Improvement Plans

§ G.S. 115C-105.27 – Development and approval of school improvement plans, states that schools must develop a school improvement plan that takes into consideration the school’s annual performance goal that is set by the State Board under G.S. 115C-105.35. The principal of each school, representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants, and parents of children enrolled in the school shall constitute a school improvement team to develop a school improvement plan to improve student performance.  A school improvement plan shall remain in effect for no more than three years; however, the school improvement team may amend the plan as often as is necessary or appropriate.

The 2008-11 school improvement planning process marks the beginning of a new three-year plan with all schools in the district having developed new plans guided by the following: 

• A “taking stock” self-assessment process that recognizes that the shared dialogue, understanding, commitment, collaboration and continuous improvement processes at the school level are even more important than the written plan itself.  
• Three to five major SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results Oriented and Relevant, Time-Bound).
• Alignment of goals with state priorities and district goals, which ensures that school plans support the achievement of district goals, while enabling schools to focus on what their school must achieve to support those goals.
• Highly focused and customized one-year target goals that direct the school’s improvement efforts in a given year. These goals are revised annually.
• A limited number of carefully chosen, research- and data-driven strategies, developed in collaboration with district resources.
• A quarterly deployment (implementation) and review process, which enables schools and the district to partner in planning, supporting and monitoring implementation, and revising strategies each quarter as needed to achieve the intended goals.
• Distinction of a highly focused, practical improvement plan from operational plans and other planning requirements, such as Title I and Comprehensive School Reform.

Each school in this district has developed a new school improvement plan for the next three years (2008-11).  During an administrative briefing for the board on October 7, 2008, staff reviewed this process and made available all school improvement plans for Board review. 

RECOMMENDATION:  In accordance with G.S. 115C-105.27, the administration recommends that the Board of Education approve all school improvement plans for schools of this district as written for the 2008-11 three-year cycle.